1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to exercise apparatuses. In particular the present invention relates to a self-adjusting treadmill having a movable console and/or a self adjusting cushioning assembly.
2. The Relevant Technology
Exercise treadmills have long been a mainstay of the home and institutional exercise equipment market. One advantage of exercise treadmills is that they decrease the wear on a user's joints when the user is running or walking, as opposed to walking on a street, trail, or other hard and/or uneven surface. Exercise treadmills having adjustable features that allow tailoring of the exercise experience to an individual user have become more popular in recent years.
Exercise treadmills typically utilize a console having user interfaces to allow a user to view exercise program information and input or select different exercise program information or features. Such consoles typically allow a user some degree of interactivity and tailoring of treadmill features including speed, displayed information, and exercise program duration. The height of such consoles is typically set at an intermediate height so as to be usable by most users. However, the intermediate height of the console may not be optimal for many of the users who will utilize the treadmill. Manipulation of the controls, while possible for many users, may not be well tailored to any actual user of the treadmill. Additionally, the height of the console may not comport with a unusually tall or unusually short user.3
Another feature utilized with exercise treadmills are cushioning mechanisms. Cushioning mechanisms in treadmills provide alleviation from the impact experienced during user exercise. A variety of different types of cushioning mechanisms are available, ranging from elastomeric members placed between the deck and the frame of a treadmill to more complex mechanisms that involve adjustability of the amount of cushioning provided.
One drawback of many existing cushioning systems is that they are designed primarily to enable adjustment before or after a given exercise routine. Such systems can be difficult, if not impractical, to adjust during the course of the exercise routine. As a result it may not be possible to tailor the amount of cushioning to different users or to variable intensities experienced during a workout. For example, a user who begins exercising more intensely during a particular exercise routine may require more cushioning than the user would if the user were walking. In addition, a desirable amount of cushioning for one user, may not be suitable for another user.